Attachment for school-desks



PATENT FFICE...

IVILLIAM HUMMELL, OF BURLINGTON, IOWA.

ATTACHMENT FO R SCHOOL-DESKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters ere No. 596,511, dated January 4, 1898. Application filed May 26,1897. SerislNo. 638,272. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM HUMMELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Burlington, in the county of Des Moines and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Attachment for School-Desks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to attachments for school-desks adapted to form combinationreceptacles for pencils, pens, and ink-wells; and the object of the invention is to provide a simple, cheap, and efficient device of this character which may be readilyattached and become a permanent part of the desk without materially encroaching on the space for storing books, slates, doc.

With these objects in View the invention consists of the novel features of construction and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described,and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a common form of school desk and seat, showing my attachment in position. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the attachment, the cover being open and the ink-well removed. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the movable pen and pencil supporter. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the attachment, the front walls of the receptacles being partly broken away. Fig. 5 is a sectional detail.

Similar reference-numerals indicate similar parts in the several figures.

1 designates the desktop, 2 the seat, and 3 the seat-back, all of which may be of any ordinary or approved construction.

The attachment is indicated by t and is adapted to pass partially through the opening 5 in the desk-top and be secured to the seatback by screws 6 or other suitable fastening devices. The upper end of the attachment may project above the top surface of the desk to any desired height that may be found convenient.

7 indicates a rectangular receptacle to receive an ink-well,and this receptacle will preferably be provided with an opening 8 in its bottom in order that the ink-well may be conveniently pushed upwardly when it is desired to remove it from the receptacle for the purpose of cleaning or otherwise. The receptacles for pencils, pens, &c., are indicated by 9, and

they are preferably rectangular and oblong in horizontal cross-section. When the attachment is used on a double desk, two of these pencil-receptacles willbe provided; but if the attachment is used on asingle desk one of them will be sufficient. The cover is indicated bylO and may be hinged or otherwise movably-secured to the top of the receptacle and is. adapted to close the upper ends of all the receptacles which may be in the attachmen t.

11 indicates a movable pen and pencil supporter which is adapted to be inserted in the receptacle 9 and to be moved vertically therein. As shown, the supporter is formed with a wide lower end, as indicated by 12, and this lower end is provided with side and bottom flanges 13. The width of the bottom part of the supporter and the depth of the flanges will be such that they will fit within the receptacle 9 snugly, but be perfectly free to move in a vertical direction. From the flanged lower end an arm 14 extends upwardly, and, as shown on one side of Fig. 4, the upper end of this arm is bent at substantially a right angle to form a finger-hold 15,which is adapted to rest in a recess 16, formed at the upper edge of the front wall of the receptacle 9. By grasping the finger-hold 15 thescholar can raise the supporter sufficiently to bring the pens or penoils which will be carried by it out of the re ceptacle a sufficient distance to be grasped by the fingers and removed from the receptacle. On the other side of Fig. 4 I have shown another means for lifting the supporter, and in this case the front wall of the receptacle 0 is provided with an elongated slot 17, through which a threaded pin 18 projects, this pin being secured in any convenient manner to the arm 14: of the supporter. A thumb-nut 19 is fitted on the threaded pin and serves not only as a fin ger-hold to move the supporter vertically, but also as a clamp to hold the supporter in its elevated position when desired.

Many other devices may be employed to accomplish this purpose, and hence I do not restrict myinvention to any specific means for lifting the pen-supporter. The lower end wall of the receptacles 9 will preferably be provided with openings in order that water or any other liquid that may accidentally be spilled in them can be discharged therefrom.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I have produced a simple, convenient, and inexpensive attachment for a desk in which the ink-Well and the pens and pen- 5 oils of the scholar may be conveniently kept, ,and that the device can be easily attached to desks now in use as well as to desks that may be manufactured in the future. It is necessary in schoolfurniture that everything must IO be compact and occupy as little space as possible, and heretofore, so far as I am aware, it has been the practice to keep pens and pencils, and very frequently the ink-well, in the same receptacle or space that is used for stor- I 5 ing the books and slates, and the result has been that the ink frequently gets spilled over the books and the pens and pencils are broken or otherwise injured.

While I have illustrated my attachment as being applied to the back of a seat, it is obvious that it may be attached to any other part of the desk or the seat, as may be found convenient. The attachment may be made of any suitable material, either wood or metal,

as may be'desired, and it is to be understood that changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

0 Having thus described the invention, what I claim isa 1. An attachment for school-desks comprising an ink-well receptacle and a pen and pencil receptacle, said receptacles being verti- 3 5 cally disposed side by side and open at their upper ends,.and said ink-well receptacle having an opening in its lower end, a cover movably connected to the attachment to close the open ends of both receptacles, and a pen and pencil supporter movable vertically within 0 the pen and pencil receptacle, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. An attachment for school-desks,comprising a pen and pencil receptacle provided with an elongated slot in its front wall, a pen and pencil supporter movable vertically within the receptacle, said supporter having a widened and flanged lower end and an upwardly-projecting arm, a threaded pin secured to the arm of the supporter and passing through said slot, and a thumb-nut on the pin adapted to engage the outer face of the receptacle,

substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. The combination with a desk and seat back, said desk having an opening in its top, of an attachment fitted in said opening and secured to the seat-back,said attachment comprising an ink-well receptacle, a pen and pencil receptacle,a pen and pencil supporter mov- 6o able vertically within the receptacle, and a cover movably connected to the attachment to close both receptacles, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

VM. IIUMMELL.

Witnesses:

H. A. KELLEY, A. N. ANTROBUS. 

